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US wrestlers barred from Iran in retaliation for Trump visa ban

As US-Iran relations deteriorate over visa bans and missile launches, sports exchanges are collateral damage.

Barbara Slavin
Barbara Slavin
Feb 3, 2017
Jordan Ernest Burroughs of U.S. (in blue) fights with Iran's Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi on the final of the Men's 74Kg Freestyle wrestling at the ExCel venue during the London 2012 Olympic Games August 10, 2012. REUTERS/Suhaib Salem (BRITAIN - Tags: OLYMPICS SPORT WRESTLING) - RTR36MXD
The United States' Jordan Ernest Burroughs (in blue) goes head to head with Iran's Sadegh Saeed Goudarzi in a freestyle wrestling match at the 2012 London Olympic Games, Aug. 10, 2012. — REUTERS/Suhaib Salem

Iran has banned US wrestlers from participating in a major competition this month in retaliation for the Donald Trump administration’s decision to bar ordinary Iranians from visiting the United States.

The announcement marks a significant blow to people-to-people exchanges with Iran, which had been on the upswing during Barack Obama’s presidency.

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